Sole for boots or shoes.



0. 0. SMALL.

8011B FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 21, 1912.

1,061,41 5. Patented May13,.1913.

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Fig. 2.

: Wmvmk. A i Flgii 2 C. C. SMALL. SOLE FOR BOOTS UR SHOES. APPLICATION1-11.21) NOV.21,1912.

. Patented May 13, 1913.

3 SHBETS-8HEET 2.

G. G. SMALL. SOLE FOB BOOTS OR SHOES. APPLICATION 11.31) NOV. 21, 1912.

W/T/VESS/SSZ Patented May 13, 1913.

UNITED s'rntrns PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER C. SMALL, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NE'W JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

SOLE FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 21, 1912.

Patented May 13, 1913.

Serial No. 732,703.

T 0 all whom 1' t may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnns'rnn C. Swarm, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newton, in the county of l\"l.iddlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Soles for Boots orShoes, o't' which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on.the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to stles, such as are used in the nniuutacture ofboots and shoes.

The sole of a shoe is its most expensive part and the quality of theshoe as a whole and its satisfactory service to the wearer depend moreupon the quality of the sole than that of any other part of the shoe.Shoe soles are made of leather of various grades, corresponding with thequality and price of the shoe. All sole leather, particularly of thepoorer grades, is irregular in thickness and density, and frequentlythere are soft or thin spots in the middle of the forepart of a sole,where the greatest wear occurs, so that the sole wears through veryquickly. The thin and spongy parts absorb water readily, and the surfaceis often so wrinkled or rough that the grain of the leather is verylikely to be cut through when a sole including a portion of the wrinkledor rough surface is butlcd to obliterate the irregularities. It alsosometimes happens that the stitches or other tasteuings used to attachthe sole to the shoe pass through a soft spot in the sole. where theywill not hold. There is also irregularity in the thickness of the edgesof the sole, due to the variations in thickness which are found in everyhide. This irregularity in' the thickness 0,1 the sole edge makes thefinishing of the edge ditficult and is detrimental to the appearance ofthe shoe.

It has heretofore been known that sole leather for use in boots andshoes could be greatly improved by subject ng it to very great.pressure. In the case of top lifts for heels. for example, it has beenfound that such pressure compresses and condenses the leather. t'orcingits fibers together and mak ing it dense and hard, thereby addingsubstantially to its wear resisting qualities and increasing very muchits capacity to resist the absorption of water. Prior to my invention,however, it has been impracticable important is this matter of thethickness of the sole edges that ithas always been the practice to gagesoles of a given quality and to determine their commercial valueentirely by the thickness of theedges in the forepart. This thickness ofthe edges is measured in irons a difference in thickness of one iron,'i. e., of an inch, between two soles of medium size and quality,represents a difference in market value of from three to four cents apair.

I have discovered that a sole blank may be produced which will possessthe advantages imparted by compression under great pressure. while atthe same time there is no substantial reduction in the thickness of theedges of the blank. I have accomplished this by exerting very greatpressure upon the interior portion of the blank, where the wear isgreatest and where alone great compression is of primary consequence.and less pressure on the marginal portion for a short distance from theedges, so that there will be at the marginal portion suflicieut condcnsation for all practical purposes and a svn'nnetrical, uniform edgeof substantially the same thickness as that of the edge beforecompression. In this way an extremely satisfactory result is attained.All that portion of the sole blank where great compression andconsequent solidification are especially important, namely, all exceptthe narrow marginal portion, is compressed and solidified to therequisite degree while the marginal portion, where extreme compressionand solidification are not important, is sutticieutly compressed andsolidified with out any substantial reduction in the thickness of theedge which, however, is made of uniform thickness and more uniform incharacter than before compression. Preferably the thickness of themarginal portion will increase gradually from its inner boundary to itsouter edge. I also prefer so to form the blank that the faces of theinterior compressed and solidified except for a nar row margin near theedges and with less and less compression and solidification from theportion of uniform, heavy compression to the edges, where thecompression and compacting are not suliicient substantially to reducethe thickness of the edge, is the prefered form of my invention. It isobvious, however, that a sole blank compressed as aforesaid in onesection only as, for instance, in the forepart, would involve theprinciple of my invention.

-The compression and formation of the sole are preferably effected bysuitably formed dies and I have illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand described in the following specification specific forms of dieswhich are suitable for this purpose.

The method which is practised in producing my improved sole is notherein claimed but will be made the subject-matter of a separateapplication for Letters Patent of the United States.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an uncompressedsolecut from a poor grade of leather; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of asoleafter ithas been com pressed and formed; Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a compressing mold; Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the moldwith a sole in it, shown ona scale four times that of the remainingfigures. The section is'taken in the plane 4-4: of Fig. 3, the narrowportion of the mold being selected. to permit the enlargement. Fig. 5 isa view similar to Fig. 2, Sl'iOWlllg'{tl'DOdlllCtl form 01' the 111-.

vention; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a mold suitable forproducing the sole shown in Fig. 5. i

In producing the sole of my invention it is my practice first'to preparesole blanks by sprinkling them with water and then piling them up andallowing thcmTo-standfor some hours, preferably over night, in

order that they may be in proper temper for compression. Preferably thecompression is effected by suitably formed dies in a very strong andpowerful conniressing machine and dies which may he used for thispurpose are shown .in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the numerals 4- and 6indicate a pair of edge dies which are arranged for movement- 1 o wardand from a lower die 8 upon which the sole blank is placed. l have foundit practicable to cut the sole blank around the forepart slightly largerthan the edge dies when closed, this excess of size being approximately3 75 of an inch around the forepart, making a total excess in width ofof an inch. The excess may beredueed along the shank, to nothing at thewide part of the heel seat. After the edge dies 4, 6 have been movedtoward each other from the position shown in Fig. 3, relative'movementbetween the dies 1, 6 and 8 and an upper die 10 is effected and the soleis thereby subjected to heavy pressure. The broken lines 15, 15 in .Fig.4 show the position of the faces of the blank before compression. Thefaces of the dies 8 and 10 are beveled at their margins, as shown at 12,14, the beveled faces being merged into the fiat faces of the interiorport-ions. In the dies from which the drawings were made these beveledportions were of substantial width, varying from-a minimum of of an inchto a maximum of 1i inches, this va riation being for reasons hereinafterexplained. The depth of the bevel at the extreme edge, measured from theplane of the flat interior portion, was approximately .012 of an inch ineach face die, so that, when the face dies were in their pressureapplying-positions, the edges were approximately .024. of an inchfarther apart than the fiat interior portions. In the use of such diesto produce the best embodiment of my invention now known to me verygreat pressure is imparted through them to parts; It is of suflicientstrength to impart a pressure of 500'tons to the sole. The amount ofpressure required to produce the sole of my invention will varyconsiderably according to the quality of the leather and the hardness ofthe stock.

In order to impart all the advantages herein discussed the pressureshould be sufiicient to render the interior portion of the sole veryhard and dense, to make the marginal portion firm and to impart a smoothhard surface to the entire grain side of the sole. The thickness of the.edges will be approximately the same as that of the edges of theoriginal blank and the interior portion will be reduced substantially inthickness, although the recovery, due to the elaslearns to determinefrom the appearance of the compressed blank and from the action of untilthedesired amount of pressure is be-' ing exerted. The result of thisoperation is a sole blank which is thoroughly compressed and condensedin its interior portion while its edges, owing to the beveled formationof the edges of the face dies, are compressed to a less degree and aresubstantially as thick as. were the edges of the blank before thecompressing operation. Thus the portion of sole which receives most ofthe wear is rendered dense and hard while the edges are of substantiallythe same thickness as they were before compression. The surface of theflat interior portionof each face of the sole merges into the surface ofthe marginal portion so that the two surfaces are practicallycontinuous, smooth and unbroken by any substantial changes in direction,the out ward flare of the sole is not noticeable and any appearance ofdistortion of the sole is prevented. The securing of this effect, whileat the same time retaining the'requisite thickness in'the edge portionof the blank, is materially helped by forming the bevel upon both sidesof the sole. 'If. the bevel wereall on one side of the blank the naturaltendency to warp might be aggra vated' to an objectionable extent; alsothe forming of the bevel on both sides of the sole secures theadditional advantage that both right and left soles may be compressed inthe same mold. While, as above stated, the marginal portion, owing tothe bevels formed on the face cites, is compressed to a less'extent andis therefore less dense than the interior portion of the sole, it shouldbe understood that in the preferred embodiment of the invention thisportion of the sole receives enough compression to.improve itsubstantially in many respects. It is made harder and smooth and theedges are substantially uniform in thickness, the objectionableirregularities in thickness having disapgpared during the compressingoperation. ariations in thickness at different points in a sole edgebecome very noticeable after the edge is trimmed and finished. After thesole is attached to the shoe, it is the practice to trim the edge of thesole by a rotary cutter so formed as to bevel the'corner at the junctionof the edge face of the sole and its tread face. This beveled corner andthe ed 'e face of the sole are blackened or stainer and given-a highfinish by an edge setting iron having the same form as the trimmingcutter. WVhen looking at the I shoe from the bottom the beveled cornerappearsas a narrow bright line around the edge of the sole. When theedge of the sole is uniform in thickness the width of the bevel formedby the trimming cutter and finished by the edge setter will also beuniform but if the thickness of the sole edge varies, the width of thebevel will vary to the same extent and the appearance of the shoe willbe greatly impaired.

Other advantages of a sole embodying my invention are that, while themarginal portion is not hardened to such an extent as to prevent theneedle penetrating the sole readily during the stitching of the sole tothe shoe, it is nevertheless sufficiently compressed and hardened toincrease its resistance to the pull of thread used in attaching the soleto the insole or the welt of a shoe, both in the attaching operation andin subsequent wear of the shoe. This increased resistance to cuttingthrough of the stock by the thread is particularly noticeable inportions of the stock which, before compression of the sole, were toosoft to afford any substantial resistance to the thread. In theoperation of attaching soles of the poorer grades on the McKay sewingmachine it has been a frequent experience that the thread would cutentirely through the sole with the result that the machine would have tobe stopped, the sole torn off and thrown away and the attachingoperation begun over again with a new sole.

A further important advantage of a condensed sole embodying my inventionis that by condensation its resistance to the absorption of water isgreatly increased. In

the tempering operation preliminary to rounding and channeling it may berendered soft enough for those operations without losing to any materialextent the beneficial effects of the compressing operation. The puttingof the sole in proper temper without losing the advantages imparted bythe compressing operation is facilitated by the fact that the marginalportions which are to be operated upon by the rounding and channelingmachines are less dense than the interior portion and will thereforeabsorb water much faster than the interior portion.

It is a common practice to cut with a single die a sole blank of a givensize from which in the subsequent rounding operation soles of aconsiderable variety of shapes will be formed. For this reason it isdesirable that the thicker marginal portion of the blank shall be ofsubstantial width so that all the lines on which the various shapes ofsoles are cut shall bcwithin this thicker edge. It is preferable thatthe marginal portion shall be wider at the point or points where thegreatest variation in these shapes is likely to occur. This is usuallyat the toe and in the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated themaximum width of the bevel is shown at the toe. where it is at least1',- inchcs wide. Tn Fig. 2, showing a sole blank embodying myinvention, the broken line 16 indicates the outline of a sole shank orheel portions. A sole possessing the characteristics above discussed inthe forepart only constitutes one embodiment of my invention, and isillustrated in Fig. 5. However, when a sole has its forepart onlycompressed it is important that the sole should not be marred by a lineor ridge in the region between'the compressed and the uncompressedportions. While this would be especiall objectionable on the faces ofthe sole, an particularly on the grain face, it would also beundesirable to have such a mark upon the edges of the sole. Accordinglya feature of this embodiment of the invention is the gradual merging ofthe un compressed and compressed surfaces. A mold for producing a solehaving its forepart, only, condensed is shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the sole illustrated has the samecharacteristics in its forepart as the sole shown in Fig. 2, but a bevel18 is formed upon each face die 20, 20 at its rear end. This causes thesurface of the flat'interior portion 22 of the forepartl of the sole tobe connected to the surface of' the uncompressed rear end 24 of the soleby a beveled portion 26 which merges gradually into'both of the saidsurfaces. The rear corners of the edge dies are also rounded at 28, 28to prevent the formation of marks upon the e ges of the sole. Marring ofthe sale by the formation of lines or ridges in the region between thecompressed and uncompressed portions isvthus avoided, while theimprovement due to compression is secured in that part of the sole whereit is most needed.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a sole blank whichis to be shaped subsequently by the rounding operation to give it thecontour desired for the shoe of which it is to form a part, theinventionjs of course not limited to a sole blank which is compressedbefore the rounding operation. Furthermore, it should be understood thatthe invention may advantageously be embodied in whatis variously termeda tap slip sole or half sole The terms sole and sole blank, as used inthe specification and claims, should be construed accordingly.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. As a new article ofmanufacture, a sole for boots or shoes having the interior wearresisting portion of its forepart compressed and condensed, and havingthat part of the sole between said interior portion and the edge of theforepart compressed to a less 4. As a new article of manufacture, asolev blank for boots or shoes having a compressed interior portion anda thicker marginal portion, the opposite faces of the mar-' ginalportion being shaped to form with-the respective faces of the interiorportion substantially smooth surfaces.

'5. As a new article of manufacture, a sole for boots or shoes havingthe interior wear receiving portion of its forepart compressed andcondensed, having the marginal portion compressed to a less extent andthicker than the interior portion. and having the opposite faces of themarginal portion shaped to form with the respective faces of theinterior portion substantially smooth surfaces.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a 'sole for boots or shoes havingitsinterior wear receiving portion compressed and having the surroundingmarginal portlon coma pressed to a less extent and formed with itsopposite faces flaring from the faces of saidinterior ortion.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a sole.

for boots or shoes having its forepart,-only,

compressed and having the {opposite faces of the compressed forepartformin with the respective faces of the rest of t e sole iubstantiallysmooth .continuous suraces. w

8. As a new article of manufacture a sole for boots or shoes having theinteri r wear receiving portion of its forepart com ressed andcondensed, having the marginal ortion compressed to a less extent andthicke than the interior portion, and having the rain face of thecompressed interior port-i the forepart merging gradually into the grainface of-the uncompressed shank portion of the sole.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a sole for boots or shoeshavi'ng theinterior wear resisting portion of its forepart compressed andcondensed, and having the marginal margin increasing graduall from itsinner boundary to its outer boun ary.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a compressed sole blank for bootsor shoes havlng the marginal portion of its forepart thicker than theinterior portion, and having the opposite faces of the marginal portionshaped to form with the respective faces of the interior ortionsubstantially smooth surfaces, said t icker marginal portion being ofsubstantial width to provide an edge for the sole thicker than theinterior after the rounding o eration.

11. As a new article 0 manufacture, a sole blank for boots or shoeshaving the marginal portion of its fore art thicker than the interiorportion, an having the o posite faces of ,the marginal portion s1a 'edto form with the respective faces of 51s interior ortion substantiallysmooth surfaces, said t icker marginal portion being of substantialwidth all around the forepart to provide an edge for the sole thickerthan the interior after the rounding operation and being of greaterwidth in the re 'on of the greatest variation in the width 0 the stockremoved in the roundin operation.

12. As a new article ofmanu acture,-acompressed sole blank for boots orshoes having the marginal portion of its forepart thicker than theinterior portion, and opposite faces of the marginal ortion shaped toform with the respective aces of the interior portion substantiallysmooth surfaces, said thicker marginal portion being of substantialwidth all around the forehaving the art and of greater width in theregion adacent to the toe to provide an edge for the sole thicker thanthe interior after the rounding operation.

13. As a new article of manufacture, a sole blank for boots or shoeshaving the interior wear resisting portion of its forepart compressedand condensed and having the entire marginal portion of the forepart,between said interior ortion and the edge of the sole, com resseci to aless extent and thicker than" t e interior portion, said thickermarginal portion being of substantial width to provide anedge for thesole thicker than the'interior after the rounding operation.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHESTER o. SMALL.

